The Hot-Blooded Realization
by Mavi21
Summary: Being the genius that he is, Sheldon should know better than to enter Penny's apartment without her knowing...
1. Do Not Disturb

_**A/N: The following work contains material unsuitable for viewers under the age of 18 due to scenes of a sexual nature. Viewer discretion is advised. Please heed the rating, you have been warned.**_

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><p><span><em>The Hot-Blooded Realization<em>

Chapter One

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><p>It was a hard and fast rule of The Group that Friday night was "Vintage Game Night", as set by Sheldon Cooper. Non-negotiable, no exceptions.<p>

By six o'clock, four of the five customary attendees were accounted for and itching to dig into their Chinese takeout. And they would've too, if it weren't for a certain theoretical physicist who claimed "Vintage Game Night" could not commence until all members of The Group were present. The absence of this particular member especially irked him as it was _the blonde one _that was causing a delay in his schedule.

"Sheldon, Penny will be over any second. I mean she's right across the hall! So please just let us eat now."

"No! Not until everyone is here. If we don't have regulation then we have deviation, and it's just a short, metaphorical jump from there to flat-out anarchy!"

Raj said something under his breath to Howard, to which the latter smirked.

It was nearing half past six and there was still no sign of the apartment 4B resident.

Sheldon sat in his spot, leaning his cheek on his propped up hand. He was seemingly waiting patiently, but under close examination one would be able to make out the faint twitching of his eye, the only evidence of the seething inferno going on inside. Howard and Raj were keeping themselves amused by watching cat YouTube videos on Raj's phone and Leonard sat silently wondering if there was a way to sneak an eggroll by Sheldon.

Apparently having lost interest in the online cats, Raj let out an unnecessary groan of exasperation. "Where is she?" He whined. "I'm starting to resemble how I looked when I lived in my impoverished nation."

Leonard sighed, clearly just as fed up as the astrophysicist but containing more patience. "Raj, you were never in poverty. Your dad's a gynecologist and your mom's a health care worker."

"Okay, this is ridiculous!" Howard exclaimed. "Will someone please just go over and see how much longer Penny will be?"

All eyes turned towards Sheldon.

"Wha- Me!? Why does it have to be me!?"

"Because it's _your_ rule."

"And _your _tradition."

"And _your_ invitation."

There was also a silent agreement amongst the three to bombard the food once Sheldon was out the door. The aforementioned glared at the three Judas's simultaneously, making a conscious effort with his mind to make their heads combust.

"Alright, fine." Sheldon reluctantly said, standing up. "As I am a man of logic I won't argue with it."

He walked over to the door, with three sets of takeout-deprived eyes following him and practically pushing him out. As he made his exit he glanced at the emergency 4B key laying in the key bowel. After a quick contemplation, he grabbed it and headed out.

It took his long legs a total of four steps before he reached her door.

_Knock knock knock_

"Penny?"

_Knock knock knock_

"Penny?"

_Knock knock knock_

"Penny?"

He waited expectantly. Nothing. Maybe she was out? Nonsense, she knew tonight was "Vintage Game Night". And while she had rudely blown them off before in favor of ridiculous boy chasing and bar hopping, Sheldon distinctly remembered her acceptance of his invitation that very morning. His eidetic memory never failed him.

A small twinge of worry began to form in the deepest depths of Sheldon's mind, propelling him to break out the emergency key. He unlocked the door and stepped into the apartment. Though it was dark, Sheldon could make out the condition of the apartment, which looked positively _ransacked_.

'_Well, at least I know no one else has been here.' _Sheldon mused. The sound of a shower running drew his attention towards Penny's room. The twinge dissolved as relief took its place. No wonder, women always took a figurative century to shower, a notion that has always been ridiculous to Sheldon and one he never quite understood.

"Penny?" Sheldon called, making his way over to her bedroom door while taking care not to step on any of the paraphernalia that littered the floor. "I know it's not socially acceptable to let myself in, especially when you are… _aren't _decent." He cleared his throat. "But it's 'Vintage Game Night' and I suppose it's understandable why you're late but… well… you see, I did say six."

A low noise sounded just then, and if Sheldon didn't know any better he would say it sounded like Penny, albeit in a way he had never heard her voice before.

Wondering if she was alright, Sheldon began to call out again. "Pen-" But his words stopped short, as well as the beating of his heart.

Penny's bathroom door was wide open, and though the shower itself was out view, the mirror hanging above the sink (which could open and close as there were shelves behind it) was also slightly opened, and angled in such a way that Sheldon could see past the open shower curtain and everything behind it from his current position… _perfectly_.

The good news was Penny seemed to be alright… in fact more than alright, she was outright enjoying herself. Sheldon's face turned a brilliant shade of red as he took in the sight of his neighbor's naked form leaning against the shower's tiled wall for support. Her back was arched, pronouncing her two large breasts in front of her. The physicist's throat was tight and his form was rigid as he impossibly followed each individual water droplet sliding down her glistening body.

As his eyes moved downward, his breath hitched as he noticed two of her fingers buried deep inside of the area between her legs, rapidly pumping in and out in an almost desperate manner.

He knew he should turn away, his mother had taught him that it was rude to stare, but he couldn't seem to get his legs to comply. Besides, Penny's eyes were tightly shut in pleasure. She had no idea he was there watching her.

Suddenly, her head snapped back as she let out a raspy moan which soon turned into a shrill cry until her mouth simply hung open in a silent scream, her whole body wracking with shudders.

The abrupt cry had at last shaken Sheldon out of his reverie, outwardly flinching. He turned heel and all but ran out of her apartment, this time not caring what he stepped on.

Slamming the door behind him, Sheldon slumped against its surface. He didn't even notice that he was still gripping the door handle, his knuckles white with intensity. His mouth was slightly agape in shock, and his eyes were wide as he stared at nothing and everything at the same time, though taking none of it in.

_What was that!?_

Well, scientifically speaking Sheldon Cooper knew _exactly_ what that was. Not from experience of course, he was far above it. All he knew on the subject was what he had gathered from books, and not the dirty kind either, _text_ books. That was how he had managed to avoid the sexual aspect of life all this time, he had viewed everything in nothing but a scientific and logical manner.

But _that_… there was no way to look at it without feeling raw and exposed, two feelings which Sheldon Cooper loathed and avoided at all costs.

He had never witnessed something of that nature in person before. And this wasn't just in person, this was practically up close and personal. There were so many emotions running through Sheldon, each and every one of them foreign and making him uncomfortable to be in his own skin.

But try as he might, he couldn't stop thinking about it. The images kept repeating themselves, flashing in his mind. Sometimes he recalled the event as it happened in chronological order, and sometimes just random snapshots of bits he had taken a particular notice to sporadically appeared, highlighting every detail perfectly.

His eidetic memory never failed him after all.

Sheldon finally released the door knob as he moved his hand up to be inches away from his face, a sign that he was apprehensive and deciding his next move. Should he keep what he witnessed to himself? Should he tell someone? Was this considered a secret? If so, he was in for some deep trouble. Should he tell…? At that thought, Sheldon glanced at the door behind him. This caused a whole new onslaught of memories to flood his brain and he quickly moved away from apartment 4B and reentered his own 4A.

When Sheldon walked in he was met with curious glances all around. He must've appeared psychotic. He was also still too much in a state of shock to be angry at the fact that they all were half-way finished with their food.

"Hey, Sheldon." Leonard said sheepishly as he set his dinner down with no small amount of guilt. "So, uh… is Penny going to be over soon?"

Penny. Shower. No wait, they weren't aware of what had happened. And neither was she.

"She was preoccupied. Taking a shower. Showering! That is, she was showering… in the shower." Sheldon helplessly stumbled over his words.

"I see… and did Sheldon here take a little sneaky-peek?" Howard leered, grinning devilishly.

"No! Absolutely not!" Sheldon shouted. He stomped over to the kitchenette to pour himself a glass of water, as his throat was growing remarkably dry once again.

Startled by the sudden outburst, Howard looked over at his friends.

"You know you can't tease him about that stuff, dude." Raj reasoned quietly. "His modem doesn't have a switch for _that _setting."

"So is she coming?" Leonard asked as Sheldon walked back into the living room.

Sheldon subconsciously flinched at his roommate's word choice.

"I believe she is." He muttered.

Leonard's eyebrows knit together as a confused look came across his face but before he could ask, as if on cue, Penny came waltzing through the door in a pair of pink form-fitting sweats. Her still wet hair was pulled out of her face in a messy bun. Sheldon had to look away.

"Hey, guys! I'm so sorry! I hope you started without me, I didn't mean to run this late." She apologized.

"Well at first Whack-a-doodle here wouldn't let us eat until everyone was here." Howard explained. "But we sent him over to check on you."

Only Sheldon picked up on the subtle anxiousness in Penny's eyes as she looked his way.

"Oh, really? I didn't hear you, Sheldon."

"But I heard you." His eyes widened and his face reddened at the mistake. "Your shower! I heard your shower and figured you were busy… showering! And so I left."

Penny slowly nodded her head. "Right. Well, I'm still sorry about that. Thanks for getting my food." Leonard smiled as he handed Penny her order. Sheldon took his spot and picked up his dinner. Howard then stood up. "Here, you can take my seat and I'll take the floor."

"Oh, no! I couldn't."

"No!"

Penny and Sheldon spoke simultaneously, though the latter was much louder.

"It's okay, I insist." Howard said, giving Sheldon a strange look.

As Penny took her seat next to him, Sheldon tried to scoot as far away as he could to avoid any bodily contact. But of course that was impossible as he was right up against the arm of the couch.

"Gee Sheldon, it's like you don't want to sit next to me." Penny giggled naively, starting to eat her Chinese.

'_That's because I don't.'_

As she moved her fork from the plate to her mouth, she accidentally brushed her elbow up against Sheldon's arm, causing the physicist to jump. A movement which did not go unnoticed by the blonde.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting how sensitive you are about the touching thing and germs." Penny apologized. "I bet you're just dying to go take a shower now, huh?"

Sheldon said nothing, as the lump that had formed in his throat wouldn't let him.

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><p><em><strong>To be continued…<strong> _


	2. So Close

_The Hot-Blooded Realization_

Chapter Two

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><p>The entirety of the night was spent in silent agony for Sheldon. While he was still an active participant in the vintage gaming, his mind was never fully engaged. It kept wandering back to that God forsaken shower! And that glistening skin…<p>

Sheldon hoped the others didn't notice the trembles wracking his frame as he faced Penny in a game of Tekken. Out of the corner of his eye he could make out Penny's fingers working deftly on the controls, and he couldn't help but imagine what those same digits were doing not even an hour earlier.

The sudden thought made Sheldon falter and his fingers slipped up on the controls, giving Penny the perfect opportunity to land the finishing hit on Sheldon's character; an opportunity that was not wasted.

Penny leaned back, letting out a triumphant cry as _'You Win!'_ appeared on the screen by her character.

Leonard grinned as he took a sip from his water bottle. "Dang Sheldon, she crushed you!"

"Yeah, first Halo and now this!" Howard chimed in, smirking. "What's goin' on, buddy? Losing your edge?"

Penny laughed good-naturedly. "He just didn't know this farm-girl had some skills outside of the barn, did ya Moonpie?" She said, giving Sheldon's chest a playful shove.

At the contact a strange sensation shot up the theoretical physicist's spine, causing him to spring out of his seat, more out of shock than anything. Everyone stared at him, surprise evident in their wide eyes.

That was it! He couldn't take it anymore!

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut my participation in tonight's antics short." Sheldon's voice came out slowly, and a bit shaky. It was obvious to everyone in the room that he was trying to maintain control over his emotions. But whether that emotion was anger or something else, they had no idea.

"I will be retiring to my room now." He continued. "Goodnight gentlemen, Penny…" He gave the latter a serious and almost, but not quite, stern stare that startled the blonde.

He then abruptly turned around and headed to his room.

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><p>Everyone still sat in stunned silence as Sheldon disappeared down the hall to presumably his room. It was only after the tell-tale sound of his bedroom door being shut that everyone felt they could breathe again.<p>

'_What was that!?'_ Penny wondered as a dull ache of worry began to settle in the pit of her stomach. It seemed that she had really upset him; she had never seen him like this before. It's not as if this was the first time she had beaten him in a videogame, nor was it the worst she had bragged and rubbed it in his face.

Then again he had been acting really weird all night, very jumpy. The comparison of Sheldon and a deer provided by Mrs. Cooper suddenly came to mind.

Penny began to anxiously bite on her pinky fingernail.

"Ehhh… I think you guys had better go." Leonard said, still unsure of what had just happened.

Howard murmured a word of agreement and Raj silently nodded his head. As they both stood, Leonard made his way over to the door to walk them out when he noticed they were a person short. When he looked over his shoulder at the blonde in question, he noticed she was still rooted in her spot, staring off into space.

"Penny?" Leonard asked as the other boys looked as well.

"I need to go talk him." Penny said suddenly.

"O-oh, uh… I don't, ah… I don't know if that's such a good idea. You know when he gets like this-" Leonard objected.

"I know how he gets. I'm going to talk to him." And with that, she too made her way down the hallway.

The boys didn't follow, but they all three wished they could cast a protective spell over her.

Penny approached Sheldon's shut door, which for some reason was giving off a very menacing vibe to her. She raised a fist and hesitated for a moment before knocking.

"Go away." Came the immediate reply from inside.

"Sheldon? It's Penny." But she had a feeling that he had already known that.

"Penny, I know you are not suffering from an acute case of bilateral anacusis, so I will not repeat myself."

"Sweetie, will you please just tell me what's wrong? Was it something I did?" Penny paused at the silence and then mentally smacked herself. "Okay stupid question, I know it was something I did. Can you please just tell me what it was? Was it because I called you 'Moonpie'?"

There was a shuffle from inside the room just then, and Penny pressed her ear against the door to listen. She placed her hands against the door's surface to balance herself.

She felt the door shift a little and from the closeness of Sheldon's next words she could tell that he too was up against the door from his side.

It was weird, and almost intimate, this feeling that Penny was so close to Sheldon. They were basically pressed up against each other albeit with a slab of wood in the way. The strange thought dissipated in Penny's mind as quickly as it had come.

"No Penny, it isn't because of the use of my nickname… which I should have given you a strike for." There was a pause. Penny smirked. _'There he is.'_

"I'm afraid I'm just not feeling well. It's best just to leave me alone for the time-being… Please."

Penny sighed. This was doing nothing to ease her worries.

"Alright, Sweetie. I hope you feel better, and I'm sorry for whatever it was that I did." She moved away from the door then. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

There was no reply, just the creak of footsteps on the floorboards as Sheldon moved away from the door.

Penny knew that the conversation was done, and this was her cue to leave.

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><p>As soon as Sheldon shut the door behind him he began to pace about his room frantically before finally taking a seat on his bed. He rested his elbows on his knees, linking his fingers of both hands together and resting his mouth on them.<p>

This was getting out of hand, downright ridiculous. He could handle the idle wandering of his mind and the mistaken turns of his thoughts as he had successfully dealt with them before, but now his _body_ was reacting!? Who in their right mind would get such a thrill from being touched in such a platonic way? Had this occurrence happened even that very morning, he wouldn't have reacted other than the light lecture he would have given her about personal space, more specifically _his_ personal space. He was acting no better than a pubescent boy! Sheldon had thought once he had successfully surpassed his teenage years and beaten down every single slight urge that came his way he wouldn't have to worry about them ever again.

But he was wrong, and he had sunken down to his lowest level. And this was _her _fault! How _dare_ she! Who was she to just come out of nowhere and tamper with the wall that Sheldon had worked so long and hard to build and maintain, only to bring it crashing down as if it were made of nothing more than mere toothpicks.

No, no. He was a man of science, he was above all of this. He would get over it, somehow, just as he always had.

Footsteps were then heard outside of his door. Sheldon now rested his forehead against his clasped hands in exasperation as he felt a migraine coming on.

It was Penny.

Had Sheldon believed in intuition, he would have called this particular bit of knowledge that.

A series of knocks sounded. "Go away." The physicist responded, wasting no time in making his irritation known.

"Sheldon? It's Penny." He had already known that.

"Penny, I know you are not suffering from an acute case of bilateral anacusis, so I will not repeat myself."

"Sweetie, will you please just tell me what's wrong? Was it something I did?" What an imbecilic question.

"Okay stupid question, I know it was something I did. Can you please just tell me what it was? Was it because I called you 'Moonpie'?"

Sheldon could've scoffed at the assumption. Truth be told he hadn't even noticed that she had used his Meemaw's term of endearment for him, as he was so caught up in that touch. He should've given her a strike for that.

Sheldon picked up on the desperate worry in Penny's voice and a subtle pang in his chest told him he couldn't leave her like that, no matter what antagonistic feelings he may hold for her as of present. He stood up from his bed and moved over to the door, leaning his forehead against its furnished wood.

He closed his eyes, unconsciously relishing the feeling of being so close to the cause of his current inner turmoil. It was strange, being this physically close to someone but seeming millions of galaxies away.

"No Penny, it isn't because of the use of my nickname… which I should have given you a strike for." He couldn't help but let that lecture-like tone of his creep into his voice.

"I'm afraid I'm just not feeling well. It's best just to leave me alone for the time-being… Please."

More silence from the other side of the door.

"Alright, Sweetie. I hope you feel better, and I'm sorry for whatever it was that I did."

He heard her step away from the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Sheldon had nothing more to say on the situation. The only energy he had left was used to shuffle his way back to bed.

He laid down on his back and stared at the ceiling as he heard Penny finally leave. He was so comfortable and tired and never wanted to move ever again.

But he had a pair of Friday night pajamas to put on.

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><p><em><strong>AN: So I originally was going to add another part to this chapter, and that's why it's so short. But I was just really anxious to get this one uploaded. I already have the next chapter all planned out so expect an update very, very soon.**_

_**Ps Thank you for all of the follows, favorites, and reviews. They make me happy, I love you. And they make me work faster *coughespeciallyreviewscough***_


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